My long-awaited essay titled “Mardi Gras’ 95,” which won First Place for Nonfiction last fall in the 2025 SLO NightWriters Golden Quill Writing Contest, has now been published in the 2025-26 issue of The NightWriter Review. The NightWriter Review is the annual publication of the San Luis Obispo NightWriters, a writing community in Central California that provides writing education, opportunities, resources, workshops, and scholarships.
“Mardi Gras ‘95” is the true story of my first (and thus far only) trip to Mardi Gras during my freshman year of college, when I called my parents from Bourbon Street to ask them for a ride back to my hotel, even though I had never told them that I planned to go. It’s one of the edgier things I’ve written to date, and SLO NightWriters’ surprising recognition of “Mardi Gras’ 95” inspired me to push the envelope in new pieces by harnessing more of Hunter S. Thompson’s influence.
If you’re interested in checking out a sample of The NightWriter Review, you can find it on Amazon, where it can also be purchased on Kindle for $6.95 or in paperback for $14.95. Thank you again, SLO NightWriters!
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